For its fourth year, the culture convention of style, arts, and music outlet Complex has branched out into a second home in Chicago. ComplexCon is coming thousands of miles from its home in Long Beach, California, bringing national attention with it—and the members of Chicago’s groundbreaking creative community have been feeling the weight of that attention differently. Some of them are reluctant to celebrate, not least because they’ve been doing for decades what ComplexCon is attempting for a weekend in July: as the convention’s website puts it, it aims to bring together “pop culture, music, art, food, sports, innovation, activism, and education.”
ComplexCon day one With live music from Juice Wrld, Ella Mai, Tobi Lou, Lucki, Young Guru, King Marie, Smoko Ono, Big Once, and DJ Cut-Cuz. Sat 7/20, 11 AM-8 PM, McCormick Place, 2301 S. King, $80-$360, all ages
ComplexCon day two With live music from Rick Ross, Schoolboy Q, Taylor Bennett, Saweetie, Austin Mills, Vic Lloyd, Siobhan Bell, Boi Jeanius, Joe Freshgoods, and Rae Chardonnay. Sun 7/21, 11 AM-8 PM, McCormick Place, 2301 S. King, $80-$360, all ages
Anticipation has been building for months, and though the commotion is warranted, ComplexCon has met with a mixed reception from locals. Chicagoans know they’re the ones who’ve put in the work that made the city a prime location for the event, and some of them worry that ComplexCon is just parachuting in to capitalize on their efforts. I’ve talked to several local artists who, while they don’t want to be quoted by name, feel the festival has fumbled its communications with the Chicago community. They say they don’t know what’s going on, and that ComplexCon has been reaching out to artists so late in the game that it can only piggyback on what they’re already doing—which would result in what’s basically a branding exercise, not a collaboration specific to the convention. If this is broadly true, that’s a shame, because ComplexCon and local organizers share a goal: they both want to find the best way to exhibit the city’s splendors while appealing to a broad audience.
He acknowledges that ComplexCon does important work, but he doesn’t know how it could overlook Leaders. “They’re the Super Bowl of streetwear and luxury and culture. They market themselves to be that,” he says. “I’m not gonna dis them for that—it’s something that needed to be done. They’re having an industry event about streetwear and sneakers and art and music. That’s dope—but all that shit starts with the independents.”
Gilkey might counter that Leaders 1354 has been logging the hours to make Chicago its own big stage for 17 years, and that for most of that time national outlets have neglected the city’s talent. He suspects that once the fest is over and gone, there won’t be any lasting benefits to locals. He doesn’t see ComplexCon hiring enough Chicago people or engaging with the scene here.
